The City of Stockbridge (City) is pleased to report that your community’s drinking water met or exceeded all safety and quality standards set by the State of Georgia and EPA during the previous year (2015).In 2015, the City of Stockbridge won the “Gold Award” from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals for maintaining 100% compliance with drinking water regulations. This Water Quality Report is intended to inform our customers of where their drinking water comes from, what it contains, and how it compares to standards set by regulatory agencies.Our employees are committed to providing you with safe, dependable tap water on a year round basis and are proud to provide the following information.

Where does my water come from?

The City obtains drinking water from the Henry County Water Authority (HCWA) and from three (3) groundwater wells owned and operated by the City. The City’s award winning groundwater system (3 wells) was put into production in October of 2000 and now provides approximately 400,000 gallons per day or about half of the water supply for the Stockbridge Water System.The City receives the remainder of its drinking water supply from the Henry County Water Authority.

The HCWA has five natural surface water sources for obtaining raw water for drinking water production: (1) Indian Creek, (2) Long Branch Creek, (3) the Upper Towaliga River, (4) the Lower Towaliga River, and (5) Tussahaw Creek. From these sources, the HCWA utilizes a network of reservoirs for raw water storage capacity including: (1) the Gardner (210 acres), (2) the Rowland (230 acres), (3) the Strickland (89 acres), and (4) the Cole (1,100 acres), (5) the Tussahaw (1466 acres). The County has four raw water intakes, one located at each reservoir other than the Cole which is utilized for storage and releases water to the Strickland Reservoir downstream on the TowaligaRiver. The Authority alternately pumps raw water from each reservoir to the County’s 2 water treatment plants.Following treatment, the finished drinking water is pumped to its customers.

Why is this water considered safe?

The entire area draining surface water into each of the reservoirs exists within the boundaries of HenryCounty and contain no wastewater or industrial discharges into the drinking water supply.The Henry County Water Authority protects these water supply watersheds through a State approved Water Supply and Watershed Protection Plan as well as county ordinances in place to assure that these watershed areas and our water supply are protected in the future.

The Authority has maintained and operated an award winning water treatment plant since 1976. It is operated around the clock by trained State Certified Operators that perform hundreds of daily tests to insure that the drinking water meets all State and Federal requirements before it leaves the treatment plant.The latest technology in monitoring equipment is being used to assure customers that their water has been treated to the highest standards possible.

After the raw water is pumped from the reservoirs, it is treated and pumped into distribution mains and storage tanks and then flows to the consumer. Water is routinely sampled throughout the entire HenryCounty system at 225 sampling locations and is checked at these locations for bacteriological quality, chlorine residual, corrosiveness and other parameters by state certified laboratory analysts.Many other tests are also performed by state laboratory personnel at the Environmental Protection Division laboratories.In addition, the City of Stockbridge monitors within its own distribution system for bacteria twice a month and for copper and lead once a year at various locations to further ensure that the water is of the highest quality.

The groundwater supplied by the City of Stockbridge’s wells is less susceptible to contamination than surface water.Chemicals are added to the water pumped from the wells for disinfection, to prohibit corrosion, and to add fluoride.

A source water assessment has been completed by HCWA and the Atlanta Regional Commission. The assessment itemized potential sources of surface water pollution within the watershed areas of the water supply.The overall results of the assessment resulted in a susceptibility ranking of LOW-MEDIUM combining all individual and non-point source rankings.Water quality reports also show no violation in water quality.The results of the assessment can be found on the internet at http://www.atlantregional.com /swap/ or you can request information by mail from the HCWA at 1695 Hwy 20 W., McDonough, GA30253.

Contaminants and Health Risks Found in Drinking Water

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons, such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections.These people should seek advice about drinking water from other health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791).Additional information can be obtained over the Internet from:

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.Contaminants that may be present in source water include the following:

Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife.

Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining, or farming.

Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff, and residential uses.

Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff, and septic systems.

Radioactive contaminants which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations that limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health.

Water Quality Data

The following table lists all of the drinking water contaminants that were detected during the calendar year of 2015. The presence of contaminants in the water does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.The State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants daily and others monthly, yearly, or less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently.

Terms and Abbreviations Used In Table

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water.MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health.MCGLs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL):The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water.There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbiological contaminants.

Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level Goal (MRDLG):The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health.MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

Action Level (AL)- The concentration of a contaminant that triggers a treatment or other requirement that a water system must follow.

Treatment Technique (TT)- A required treatment technique or process known to be effective in reducing the health risks of contaminants in drinking water.

One part per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/l) - Is the equivalent of one penny in ten thousand dollars.

One part per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (µg/L) - Is the equivalent of one penny in ten million dollars.

(c) Turbidity is a measure of the cloudiness of water. We monitor turbidity because it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of our filtration system.

(d) Lowest % of monthly samples meeting turbidity limits.

(e) Water from the treatment plant does not contain lead or copper, however under EPA test protocol, water is tested at the tap. Tap tests reveal whether lead or copper is corroding from the piping system and contaminating the water supply.Phosphate, a corrosion inhibitor, is added prior to distribution.

(f) 90th percentile.

(g) Number of sites exceeding AL.

(h) Fluoride is added in treatment to bring the natural level to the EPA optimum of 1 part per million.

(i) Annual average.

(j) Results Obtained from Henry County Water Authority

Lead

Water from the treatment plant does not contain lead or copper, however under EPA test protocol, water is tested at the tap. Tap tests reveal whether lead or copper is corroding from the piping system and contaminating the water supply. Phosphate, a corrosion inhibitor, is added prior to distribution.

Infants and children who drink water containing lead in excess of the action level could experience delays in their physical or mental development. Children could show slight deficits in attention span or learning abilities.Adults who drink this water over many years could develop kidney problems or high blood pressure.Infants and young children are typically more vulnerable to lead in drinking water than the general population.It is possible that lead levels at your home may be higher than at other homes in the community as a result of materials used in your home’s plumbing. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to have your water tested and flush your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using tap water. Additional information is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791).

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. [Water System] is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead .

Opportunities for Public Participation

The City of Stockbridge holds City Council meetings on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM inside City Hall located at 4640 N. Henry Blvd. To be placed on the agenda for a meeting please call the City Clerk at (770) 389-7900. The Henry County Water Authority Board meets at 8:00 AM on the second Thursday of every month at 1695 Hwy. 20 West in McDonough. If you plan to attend please call the office at (770) 957-6659 to be placed on the agenda for the meeting.

For More Information

For additional information regarding this report or to receive an individual copy, please contact Jeff Bledsoe, Water Superintendent at (770) 474-1232, or by email: jbledsoe@cityofstockbridge-ga.gov .